More than 2,500
providers and physicians are actively referring their patients to the platform,
according to Dallas-based app startup Rosy.
By Dom
DiFurio 6:00 AM on Feb 26, 2020
Investors have pumped
$1 million into Dallas-based OB-GYN Dr. Lyndsey Harper’s startup Rosy, seeing an
opportunity to fund an app they believe could bridge an infrequently-discussed
gap in health care: women’s sexual health.
Harper was practicing
obstetrics and gynecology in Dallas in 2017 when she began hearing more from
longtime clients about struggles with decreased sex drive and sexual
dysfunction. Her realization that the medical community was unequipped to
educate women on how to handle common sexual health issues and the taboo
surrounding the subject spurred her to develop Rosy, she said.
“It goes back to
centuries of people believing both in society and in the medical community that
reproduction or sexual function on the women’s side is to placate the needs of
their male partners and also for reproductive reasons," Harper said. “But
I don’t think there’s been a lot of conversation around female pleasure or
owning the experience as our own.”
So Harper left her
private practice in 2018 and started developing Rosy full time, hoping to help
improve the lives of the 30 million women who experience low libido. She
describes Rosy’s approach to tackling decreased sex drive as a holistic one,
which includes educational content, community conversations and erotic fiction.
“I think there’s a
lot of women who would prefer to do a behavioral intervention rather than just
take a pharmaceutical medication,” she said.
Upon signing up for
Rosy, users are immediately prompted to take a quiz to determine their sexual
wellness score.
How many times have
you reached climax in the past several weeks? In the past, was your level of
sexual desire or interest good and satisfying to you? Are you bothered by your
decreased level of sexual desire or interest? Could alcohol use or
dissatisfaction with your partner be contributing to your lower sex drive?
The user’s responses
to these questions are designed to be a starting point for tracking sexual
experiences and knowledge gained. Inside the app, the user is presented with a
number of videos curated based on their score. The videos explain various
causes of decreased sex drive and ways women can increase their level of
desire.
Dallas-based OB/GYN
Dr. Lyndsey Harper is the founder of Rosy, an app that's breaking down taboos
and helping women educate themselves about low sex drive.(Rosy)
The app is also
intended to empower frank discussion about sex and relationships through
anonymous community discussion boards. Women who may otherwise feel too
uncomfortable can ask genuine questions and get feedback from others. Rosy
launched its discussion board feature in January.
Rosy makes money
based on a freemium pricing model. Users get access to a certain amount of
educational videos and erotica for free and can pay $10 a month for premium
“Masterclass” video content and additional erotica.
The app has also seen
traction in the health care industry, where more than 2,500 providers and
physicians are actively referring their patients to the platform.
“When you meet
Lyndsey, it’s apparent that she is on a mission to make health care resources
more accessible to women by using technology,” Tilt founder and Rosy investor
James Beshara said in a statement. “I had no idea this issue was so prevalent.
Women don’t have even close to the same number of resources as men, and
investing in companies like Rosy is essential for closing that health care
gap.”
Dom DiFurio. Dom is a staff
writer covering breaking business news. He writes about the companies and
transactions that shape life in North Texas. Dom considers himself among the
many transplants that moved to Texas from the crowded coasts who found more
than enough reasons to call it home.
No comments:
Post a Comment